Marionette - Naruto Shippuden High School [Akasuna no Sasori x OC]

Chapter Ten: Precious Ones

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For the rest of the time, Sasori insisted he treat himself and soon joined Kuro and the others at the dinner table. Surprisingly, the meal was rather calm and uneventful... but Kuro wished she could say the same for the next day.

All of the Sand Siblings were missing—and everyone knew why. Kuro stalked through the hallways, hanging her head.

"Did you hear? She's part of the Akatsuki now."

"Can you even imagine what her parents are thinking?"

"I thought so. I'm not too surprised she joined a gang."

"Don't catch her gaze! She'll beat you up if you do!"

"I can't believe she did such a thing to a friend of hers. Talk about being backstabbed."

With that remark, Kuro froze. Her eyes were wide, and her hands trembled as they gripped the straps of her backpack.

"That's right, I..." she whispered, her voice faltering when she raised her head, only to be pelted with glowers and fearful looks. "I did this... to my friend." She broke out into a run, headed for the underside of the staircase, glad to find that Sasori was not there when she arrived. Rage and regret covered her heart in a thick film, and she pulled a pocketknife from her backpack, flipping out the blade. Holding it with the blade pointed towards the floor, she wore a face of sore anger, and she stabbed into the plaster where Sasori's sign was marked.

She drew several lines over the rugged symbol until there was nothing of it left, only several deep lacerations scarring the white paint. Beside it, she carved, "My loyalty rests in my friends." Once the message as inscribed, she furiously stabbed half of the blade in and left the handle sticking out, collapsing to her knees. For the rest of the day, she stayed there, shielding herself from prying eyes. She heard the voices of her buddies trailing down the hall several times that day and was tempted to leave her hiding spot, but her courage always faltered.

When the bell that signaled the end of the school day rang, she bolted from her spot and raced for the school exit. On her way home, she spotted Naruto and Lee discussing something at the usual meeting spot, but she had no strength to speak to them. She sped past as Naruto called out to her, but she didn't throw a single glance backward.

"Hey!" he tried one more time, catching her arm. "Where have you been? Everyone was looking for you today, 'ttebayo." Kuro spun around, biting down on her bottom lip.

"Naruto, I—I—" she stuttered, breaking free from Naruto's hold. "...I'm sorry." He called out for her again, but Kuro broke into a sprint, refusing to slow until she arrived at the entrance of her home: the deli shop. Shuffling inside, she strode through the closed, empty deli and around the back counter, up the flight of stairs that led to her home.

The moment she stepped through the door, she was immediately confronted by her parents. They were both soft, gentle beings, but when it came to Kuro and her delinquency, they struck down hard.

"Kuro," her father addressed, his arms crossed in front of his burly chest. Although he had a round belly that protruded over the waistband of his trousers, the beady gaze behind his thin wire-frame glasses was sharp. The gray mustache above his upper lip was curled down into a frown, wild salt-and-pepper hair at disarray. "Today, we received a call from your school. You did not show up to any of your classes."

"Ah, about that," Kuro mumbled glumly, slipping her shoes off.

"What is the meaning of this?" her mother asked, one hand on her father's arm. She was from whom Kuro bore most resemblance; a heart-shaped face with thick lips and almond eyes of a deep hue. Her hair was a bit curly around her shoulders and the years showed in her face—just as it did Kuro's father—but it was less stern.